Suspected cop killer gunned down in standoff

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Intense operations spanning the towns of Pototan, Dumangas, Dingle, and Barotac Nuevo in Iloilo led to the fatal confrontation with Michael Solis, a 41-year-old accused of murdering a police officer in broad daylight over the weekend.

Solis was killed nearly 12 hours after he fatally shot Corporal Reo Manero of the Pototan Municipal Police Station. The shootout occurred in Barangay Sohoton, Barotac Nuevo, around 9:40 p.m. on April 8.

Collaborative efforts by the Barotac Nuevo Municipal Police Station, Iloilo Police Provincial Office – Provincial Intelligence Unit (IPPO-PIU), IPPO Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit, IPPO Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, and police from Pototan, Dingle, and Dumangas contributed to locating the suspect.

Captain Cedrick Cruz, Barotac Nuevo police chief, reported that Solis opened fire as he opened the door of his hideout.

“There was no opportunity for negotiation. He clearly had no intention of surrendering,” he stated.

During the exchange, Solis struck an IPPO-PDEU member’s ballistic vest in the chest area. The gunfire lasted approximately five minutes.

According to Cruz, Solis fled into a rice field, where he was ultimately shot and succumbed to three gunshot wounds to his back.

He was taken to Don Jose Monfort Medical Center in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The suspect had been the target of an extensive manhunt after he killed 36-year-old Manero, a Janiuay, Iloilo, resident, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds after Solis’s attack at around 10 a.m. that Monday.

Major Jose Rey Pabalan, Pototan police chief, disclosed that Manero had been tracking Solis, a well-known drug figure.

Manero had entered a property in Barangay Polot-an, Pototan, where Solis lived.

“A colleague had warned him to exercise caution pursuing Solis. However, Manero was determined to familiarize himself with the area ahead of a planned search warrant,” Pabalan explained.

It seemed Manero was unable to draw his weapon in self-defense.

Following Manero’s death at the hospital, Solis escaped on his motorcycle, leading to his ultimate demise in Barotac Nuevo hours later.